Prior art banding systems, such as the banding system 10 of FIGS. 1-4, generally include feed conveyors 12, which move logs 14 of web product toward a wrapping station 16. Typically, the wrapping station 16 includes a roll 18 of wrap material 20, which is positioned adjacent to the feed conveyor 12 to supply wrap web material 20 to the wrapping station 16. As shown in FIG. 1, the roll 18 typically feeds wrap material 20 through a cutting assembly 24 and onto a discharge conveyor 26.
Conventional cutting assemblies 24 generally include an anvil 30 having an outwardly extending knife blade 32 and a rotatable cutting roll 34 having an outwardly extending knife blade 36. In operation, the cutting roll 34 is rotated about its axis to intermittently and selectively engage the wrap material 20 between the blade 36 of the cutting roll 34 and the blade 32 of the anvil 30. During this engagement, the blades 32, 36 perforate the wrap material 20, defining a wrap sheet 38.
After being perforated and as shown in FIG. 2, the wrap sheet 38 is typically feed upwardly toward the discharge conveyor 26. The feed conveyor 12 then moves a log 14 across the wrapping station 16 and onto the discharge conveyor 12, thereby pinching the leading edge of the wrap sheet 38 between the leading edge of the log 14 and the discharge conveyor 26. As shown in FIG. 2, the leading edges of the wrap sheet 38 and the log 14 are then aligned. Typically, the discharge conveyor 26 continues to pull the wrap sheet 38 upwardly and an actuator 40 is moved into engagement with the wrap sheet 38 to rip the wrap sheet 38 at the perforation. The discharge conveyor 26 continues to pull the wrap sheet 38 and the log 14 forwardly, aligning the trailing edge of the wrap sheet 38 and the trailing edge of the log 14.
Downstream from the wrapping station 16, the wrap sheet 38 is typically folded upwardly and around the log 14. The log 14 can then be cut into smaller stacks or clips of web product.